to deliver on their second release. Could it be that Page 11 Eve on Entertainment Album Review: Vampire Weekend’s Contra By Chris Dilenno - Lions Eye Enterntainment Editor - cad5241@psu.edu Ah, the sophomore album. After a stellar de- but, many bands suffer from from a lack of ability their initial record was just too good and they can do nothing to live it to the hype or does the sophomore slump truly exist? Vampire Weekend’s Contra sug- gests the latter. A band that usurped and redefined the genre of college rock, Vampire Weekend’s self-titled first album was a rare gem cut from the origins of completely different musical styles (namely: Afri- can pop and Western classic), it transcended the line between the line between the kind of music people consume like candy and the kind that’s just plain dif- ficult to swallow (which explains it’s mixed levels of acceptance from the laymen and music critics alike). In any case, the album made an impact that was sure to resonate with the audience of today and many began to speculate that the band could not dupli- ~ cate what they had accomplished on Vampire Week- end. Well, those people were right and they didn’t duplicate it --- they trumped it. It’s not to say they’ve retreated from their old habits, Contra is full of the same lyrical silliness and a very familiar complex simplicity that Ezra Koenig and the boys have been utilizing since their debut. In fact, the structure of the music’s ante has been upped to a very obvious degree ‘and the lyrics seem to be more apt for the middle man, instead of the somewhat high-class rhetoric they chose to showcase on their debut. The music is full of more sounds and is altogether a more pleasant experi- The Lion’s Eye ence, full of sophisticated hooks and catchy choruses. “Horchata”, the original single and preced- ing album-opener, is a wacky Ezra-esque tune that shows its hand from the beginning and begs you to dance over the chiming keyboard, classic back- drop and clapping drum line, as Ezra belts the most Photo courtesy of rawkblog.net bizarre lyrics Vampire Weekend has ever pre- sented in a song. Arguably the best song on the album, Cousins (the second single), blends joy- ful guitars with a pounding bass that threatens to ruin the song, but just plain never does, and pres- February 3, 2010 : ents. Vampire Weekend at their pop-punk-iest. The rest of the album is a happy medium between the two presented styles, blended with the seemingly countless numbers of possibilities for song productions this band carries. “Diplomat’s Son”, a song about an empty house-crashing aristo- crat’s adventures, samples a simple M.I.A. beat and constructs something effortless and warm around ~ it and “California English” employs the aforemen- tioned unconventional lyrics while name-dropping the title of their album, “Someone took a trip be- fore you came to ski in the Alps. Your father moved across the country. Just to sunburn his scalp. Con- tra Costa, Contra Mundum, contradict what I say. Living like the French Connection, but we’ll die in LA.”, a verse that spirals directly into the eupho- ria that is the chorus of the song. “Giving Up The Gun” is a shiny pop-gem that is just begging to be exploited for cinema and the closer, “I Think Ur a Contra”, takes the popfest out on a slow and solemn note with an acoustic guitar and heavy keyboard taps. Contra addresses every notion that the crit- ics of their first album had when they labeled it an act of overdone, exaggerated music perpetuated by snobby punks looking for recognition. Contra asks you to open your mind and broaden your horizons for the sake of the music of the future’s cultural and social expansion. Something to which hardly any- one can hold a legitimate “contra” against. Infinite Playlist Ode ta Bowen By Caitlin Olszewski - Lion Eye Eye on Generation Editor - coo5024@psu.edu *Disclaimer: Caitlin Olszewski does not endorse 80's hair bands but | hear Bowen totally digs Bret Michaels. 1. "Search and Destroy” — Iggy Pop 2. “You Make My Dreams Come True” — Hall & Oates 3 “Superman” —- The Kinks 4, 5. “Here | Go Again” - Whitesnake 6. “Bowie” - Flight of the Concords 7. “Shout at the Devil” - Motley Crile 8. “Nobody's Fool” - Cinderella “My Hero” — Foo Fighters 0 10. “I've Done Everything For You" - Rick Springfield Top Photo Courtesy of Karrie Bowen’s Facebook page Bottom Photo Courtesty of seattlest.com “Nothin' but a Good Time" - Poison “you on an emotional roller coaster. The characters ~ create moments that grab the audience and engross NOW PLAYING: The Lovely Bones By Cait Hazinsky Lions Eye Staff Writer ceh5240@psu.edu The Lovely Bones is a story about a young girl who is murdered and her family tries to solve the mystery and seek justice. Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, and Saoirse Ronan star in this thrilling movie takes them in their anguish and then pull them into their revelations and happiness. And for those of you who have read The Lovely Bones previously, the movie is still worth seeing despite the fact you already know who the villain is. WAHLBERG WEISZ SARANDON TUCCI IMPERIOLI RONAN PETER JACKSON ics Wiha < THE STORY OF A LIFE AND EVERYTHING THAT CAME AFTER... ALICE SEBOLD FRAN WALSHAPHILIPPA BOYENSZ PETER JACKSON FILM DECEMBER : i
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